Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
MILAN – A standing ovation, chants and warm applause from delegates greeted the announcement that Matteo Salvini had been re-elected federal secretary of the Lega at the close of the extraordinary congress in Milan. Immediately after the ballot result, the league leader and deputy prime minister embraced his rival Massimo Garavaglia on stage, shaking his hand to reunite the party after months of heated internal debate.
“I carry with me the reflections of these past months, sometimes a little bitter,” Salvini said. “But from tomorrow the path is a united one: whether you voted Salvini or you voted Garavaglia. Whoever wins, wins, and we move forward together.”
Ukraine and foreign policy: “No more arms and money, diplomacy is the answer”
In his acceptance speech, the Lega secretary set out the party’s clear stance on the war in Europe, calling for a decisive change in how the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is handled:
“For more than four years now we have, quite rightly, supported the people under attack and bombardment, approving sanction after sanction, sending €90 billion and goodness knows how many arms packages. At the Lega congress, a responsible and loyal governing force that never stays silent, may we ask whether, after four years of conflict and thousands of deaths, sending more arms and more money is the best way to achieve peace?” Matteo Salvini pressed. “In 2026 wars are not won on the battlefield but at the diplomatic table. The sooner we bring the parties back to the negotiating table and invest in diplomacy, the better it will be for everyone.”
Government stability and a jab at internal “dissidents”
On the stability of the executive led by Giorgia Meloni, Salvini ruled out any talk of a crisis: “It would make no sense for the longest-serving government in Italian history not to stay in office and do the job the citizens have asked of us. This legislature must run its full five-year course.”
He did, however, have harsh words for the internal factions that tried to boycott the latest Lega assemblies:
“In 35 years of activism I had never before heard that in recent weeks some officials were sending messages saying ‘Let’s not go to Pontida or Milan, let’s boycott it to send a signal’. This is not a signal to Salvini; it is a betrayal of what it means to be a member of the Lega.”
Identity shift: the new “Lega Italia federale” logo unveiled
The day in Milan also marked a graphic and conceptual turning point for the party’s symbolism. From the stage the new logo was revealed: against a white and blue background sit the words “Lega” (in blue), “Italia” (in yellow) and “federale” (in white), with the historic silhouette of Alberto da Giussano, sword drawn, still at the centre.
The phrase “Lega per Salvini Premier” has now disappeared for good, a technical and institutional choice explained by the leader himself to comply with the new electoral rules, which require the centre-right coalition to name a single prime ministerial candidate.
